Waiting Here
by MissFiyerabaMeponineSherlock
Summary: His lips pressed against hers passionately and his arms wrapped around her waist. She kissed him back eagerly, her arms wrapping around his neck, pulling him closer to her. He kissed her neck and then picked her up and carried her to his bed. Marius Pontmercy was drunk. Very drunk. Eponine Thenardier tried to ignore that and live in the moment.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, so this makes 3 and a half. 3 and a half fanfics that I am currently working on, so uh yeah... Heheh... I am responisble for 24 of the Meponine fanfics.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters.**

His lips pressed against hers passionately and his arms wrapped around her waist. She kissed him back eagerly, her arms wrapping around his neck, pulling him closer to her. He kissed her neck and then picked her up and carried her to his bed. Marius Pontmercy was drunk. Very drunk. Eponine Thenardier tried to ignore that and live in the moment.

"I love you, Eponine Thenardier." he murmured softly into her ear. Eponine was happier than she'd ever been. Marius' love was all she'd ever wanted. They undressed eachother and Marius pulled her close for another passionate kiss. The rest of the night was bliss.

...

Eponine woke before Marius and, at first, had no idea where she was. She was suddenly very aware of the fact that she was not wearing any clothes. She sat up slowly and looked at the sleeping form next to her. She breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Marius. The memory of the previous night came rushing back to her and she grinned. _We actually... mon Dieu..._ Her grin widened. She could see the light streaming in through the window in Marius' bedroom. _Father is going to be livid that I didn't go home last night... perhaps I ought to steal more than usual. Maybe then the beating won't be as bad._ She thought. She got up quietly and got dressed. She looked at Marius again and smiled. She tip-toed over to him and kissed him on the cheek. Then she took to the streets for a day of pick-pocketing.

...

When Marius woke up, he had no memory of the night before. The last thing he remembered was stumbling out of the Cafe Musain with Eponine supporting him in his drunken state. Then he realised that he wasn't wearing any clothes and he had no idea why. _What the hell happened last night? _he wondered as he sat up. _That is the last time I ever agree to drink with Grantaire. Never again..._ Marius got up and dressed. He left his apartment in search of Eponine. _Maybe she'll have some idea of what happened last night..._ He wandered the streets of Paris, his head pounding. _Never again..._ he repeated in his head.

He caught sight of Eponine on the Rue des Invalides. She was pick-pocketing every bourgeois that walked past. He walked over to her and lightly placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly and turned around to face him.

"Don't y'know you're not supposed to sneak up on someone when they're breakin' the law?" she said, pocketing the money she'd just stolen. He smiled unabashedly.

"Sorry, 'Ponine." he said. She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Hey 'Ponine?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you have any idea what happened last night?" he asked her rather quickly. Her smile vanished.

"You mean you don't remember?"

"No." he replied. She looked crushed. "What's wrong?" he asked her.

"Nothing." she said too quickly, then she added: "I have to go." she ran off, not even realising that the money she had pick-pocketed had fallen out of her pocket. Marius ran after her.

"Eponine!" he called, running after her. She was faster than him. "Eponine!" he called again, but she was gone.

...

Eponine ran down the Rue Mondétour, then the Rue de la Chanvrerie, trying to put as much distance between her and Marius as possible. She didn't want him to see the tears that were now falling rapidly from her hazel eyes. _He doesn't remember... that was the best night of my life and... and he doesn't remember... oh how cruel life is! _She sank to the ground, weeping bitterly. She brought her knees up to her chest and buried her face in her hands. _I'll always remember his loving touch; his soft caresses; his tender kisses... but he won't. He won't remember our act of love. _She laughed bitterly, _Love... is there even such a thing? Even if there is... love isn't all good. Love is pain, well... for me it is. I love him with all of my heart, but he... he..._ she sighed, _he doesn't feel the same way. What a fool I was to even think that there was possibility that he would ever love me! He doesn't remember... he doesn't remember the sweet nothings that he whispered to me, he doesn't remember when he told me that he loved me... But I do. And now I'll always wonder what might have been, I'll always want it now that I've experienced it, even if only for a night. Part of me wishes it had never happened because then I wouldn't feel so bad right now, but then... then I remember every touch, every kiss and I know that I would never want to take back that night... that I could never bring myself to regret it... Oh! If only he remembered! All of the things he said to me... but they were all drunken lies. He does not love me. He will never love me. Oh how foolish I was to think even for a second that he could love me..._

_..._

Eponine sat there, crying, for quite some time. It was not until the sun began to set that she got up and walked back to the tenement in which her family resided, the Gorbeau House. She walked inside and up the stairs to her family's apartment room. Her father was waiting for her.

"Where were you las' nigh'?"

"I... I..." Eponine stammered, not really having an answer to give him. She certainly was not going to tell him where she'd actually been the previous night.

"'Ow much money d'you get?" he asked. She reached into her pocket, but instead of finding all of the money she'd pickpocketed, she found nothing. "Well? Where is it?"

"It's... it's gone..." she replied.

"You useless girl!" He grabbed her by her hair and slammed her into the wall. "What'd you do with it?"

"It must have fallen out..." she told him. He threw her to the ground. "I'm sorry!" she said quickly, even though she knew he wouldn't care for her apologies. He kicked her in her stomach. She cried out in pain. She tried to get away, but he pinned her down. He started to beat her mercilessly.

"You're useless, Eponine! Useless! You 'ear me? Useless!" he continued to beat her. Eponine tried her best not to cry out–he would only beat her worse if she cried out–but she couldn't help it.

When Thenardier had decided he was finished beating her, he stood up.

"Get out, an' don' come back 'til you 'ave money." he told her. Eponine got to her feet and left as quickly as she could. It was amazing that she could stand at all after what her father had done to her. She carefully made her way down the stairs and out the door of the Gorbeau House.

**Hope you liked it! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, I apologise. I was going to update both Hope and Waiting Here either today, tomorrow, or Thursday, but I cannot. The reason why will shock you.**

**So as anyone who has read my stories will know, I like to write depressing things. Seriously, take a look at pretty much any of my fanfics and I can almost guarantee that at one point or another, it gets depressing. **

**Now for the reason why I can't update.**

**I am simply just too happy to write anything depressing right now. **

**I know, I know, it comes as a shock since I love being depressing in almost everything I write. I mean, most of the time, my goal is to make you cry while you read what I've written.**

**And now I'll explain why I'm happy.**

**Tomorrow I graduate elementary school. I will finally be done in the hell hole I've called a school for 10 years. I'll be going to a new hell hole known as a high school. I am really excited to be graduating. Secondly, today I recieved my report card... and I'm on the honour roll! Yeah! Thirdly, one of my classmates is throwing an after party, and another is having a pool party on Thursday. Excited for that too! Oh, and me and my friends sang a parody I made of One Day More today in the middle of class and that was awesome.**

**So yeah. I am just too happy to be depressing. **

**I apologise for not updating, but I will try to update on Saturday.**

**Sincerely,**

**MissFiyerabaMeponine**

**P.S PM me if you want to see the lyrics of the parody I wrote.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Les Méchants, Waiting Here, Unconditional Love, A Little Blood That Cries, Hope, One Towards the Other, La Pluie Fera Pousser les Fleurs, I Love Him, Outburst, Empty Promise, The Sombre Depths of Death, Une Pauvre Fille, Toute Seule, Love Prevails, The Girl Nextdoor, Quelques Gouttes de Pluie, Love is a Hardship, Stalwart and True, Ma Chérie, My Darling, Un Peu de Sang Qui Pleure, The Jondrette Girl, Her Death, Prom Night. That's 24 Méponine fanfictions (now it actually is 24 :P)... I need another hobbie :P Wow, 10 reviews already! That's awesome, you guys are awesome!**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and thank you to EM Lover. I think you will like this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Mis or any of the characters.**

Eponine walked as quickly as she could, which wasn't very quick as she was limping. Once she figured she was far enough from the Gorbeau House, she walked down an alleyway and collapsed. She pulled her knees up to her chest and sobbed out of such sheer desperation.

"Great." she muttered. "Now, not only do I feel like a fool, but now I'm homeless! Great, just freaking great!" She continued to sob until she passed out, both from exhaustion and from loss of blood. She slept dreamlessly.

...

Around the same time as Eponine, Marius was also drifting off into sleep. Though, unlike Eponine, he did not sleep dreamlessly...

_Marius' hands lovingly caressed Eponine's body as he kissed up and down her neck. She moaned in pleasure. Marius pressed his lips to hers and he held her close to him. She kissed him back fervently. _

_"'Ponine..." he murmured against her lips, "Oh 'Ponine... I love you..." his hands rested lightly on her thighs._

_"I love you too, Monsieur." she murmured back. He deepened the kiss and pulled her even closer, if that was possible. Eponine wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm yours..." she whispered. Marius smiled._

Marius woke up, rather suddenly.

"What the hell!?" he exclaimed to himself. "Did I just dream about...? What the hell!?" Marius didn't realise that it wasn't a dream, but a memory. "I... I cannot be having those type of dreams about Eponine!" he said, though he had not found it to be an unpleasant dream. "Seriously, what the actual hell!?" He tried to forget about it, but he found himself quite unable to. He got up and got dressed, deciding that he would go for a walk.

It was still dark outside. Marius guessed that it was around 4:00 in the morning. He walked down the streets of Paris, thinking about his dream. _I cannot be dreaming about Eponine like that... She's my best friend, I can't... She's so beautiful... Stop that! What am I thinking!? I can't... This is bizarre..._ Marius was confused by these feelings. It was the first time, save for the drunken night that he did not remember, that he had ever thought of Eponine in that way. He was definitely not used to it. He sighed lightly.

"'Ponine..." he murmured, "Why do I feel like this...?"

"Feel like what, Monsieur?" a voice softly asked from the shadows of an alleyway. Marius turned and saw Eponine, beaten and battered.

"Eponine! My God, what happened to you!?" he asked her as he ran over to her.

"I'm okay, Monsieur."

"You're bleeding!"

"I'm okay."

"You are not okay! 'Ponine, what happened? Who did this to you!?"

"No one..." she replied.

"Please, Eponine, tell me." he begged her. She took one look at him and knew that she couldn't deny him anything. _Not quite sure that's a good thing..._ she thought bitterly.

"It was my father..." she said quietly. His eyes widened.

"How... how long has he... how long has he been beating you?"

"Since we moved to Paris." she admitted. She wobbled slightly.

"You need a doctor's care." he said as he wrapped an arm around her waist to support her. She shook her head. "Eponine, please, let me help you. You're badly injured and you're bleeding. You need help, let me help you." She sighed.

"Fine." She went to take a step and would have collapsed if Marius hadn't caught her. He picked her up. "Hey, I can walk." she said, knowing that it wasn't true. Marius just shook his head and carried her to the hospital, worrying the whole time about how badly she was bleeding and how light she was. Eponine ended up passing out before they arrived at the hospital.

Once in the hospital, Marius was led by a doctor to a hospital bed, where he gently placed Eponine. The doctor cleaned and bandaged her wounds. Eponine remained unconscious the whole time.

Marius watched her worriedly. He always worried about her, about what her father and his gang did to her, or how malnourished she was. When they'd first become friends, Marius had often offered her money. He had stopped doing that, realising that it offended her a bit and that she would never accept his money. He also often bought her food, though she didn't always accept it (she usually only allowed him to buy her food when she was absolutely famished). And why did Eponine so often refuse his help? Pride definitely played a part, but it was more that she didn't want to seem weak in the eyes of Marius, or that she didn't want him to 'waste' (though Marius always argued that it wasn't a waste) his money on her.

The doctor was about to give her a needle to dull the pain that she would undoubtedly experience upon waking, when Eponine awoke and grabbed his wrist, effectively stopping him from giving her the needle.

"It will help with the pain." The doctor explained. Eponine didn't release her grip on his wrist.

"It's okay, 'Ponine." Marius said softly. "Let him give you the needle, it'll help." Eponine eyed the needle apprehensively. "Please, 'Ponine, trust me." Eponine sighed and let go of the doctor's wrist. Marius took one of Eponine's hands in his own as the doctor gave her the needle. Eponine winced slightly as the needle went in, but almost immediately felt the effects and began to calm down as he pain vanished. Her eyes drooped.

"Did I neglect to mention that it'll make you sleep?" the doctor, a rather elderly man, asked.

"Just a little..." Eponine replied drowsily, a bitter edge in her voice.

"Rest now, Eponine. You're safe now." Marius said.

"I don't... wanna..." Eponine tried uselessly to fight the drowsiness.

"Eponine, please, just rest. You need to heal."

"'M not tired..."

"Yes you are."

"No 'm not..." she mumbled before her eyes closed. She had fallen asleep. Marius couldn't help but smile slightly.

"There's not much else I can do for her," the doctor said, "is there anywhere safe that she could stay until she heals?" Marius nodded.

"She can stay with me." he said. He gently lifted her from the hospital bed and carried her to the Cafe Musain, where he lived in one of the rooms above. When he walked through the door, he wasn't surprised to see Grantaire sitting at one of the tables, passed out with a bottle of wine still in his hand. All of the other members of Les Amis de l'ABC had long since gone to bed. Marius glanced at his watch. It was 5:00 in the morning. He carried Eponine up to his room and laid her down on his bed. He watched her sleep for a moment, still worried about her, before walking over to the sofa and laying down. He was asleep within seconds.

Once again, Marius dreamed of Eponine.

**Well I hope you enjoyed that! Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, I feel kind of bad since this is my second author's note and it's barely been a week. However, this needs to be said.**

**I will not be updating any of my stories for the next three weeks as I am leaving for a three week course in CTC Blackdown and I will not have access to my computer or the internet, except for maybe on Sundays, when I will be allowed to return home for the day. But you really shouldn't expect updates on Sundays as I will be spending them with my family (and eating real food :P)**

**I'm really sorry that I won't be able to update.**

**I will be returning home on July 26th, you can probably expect at least one update the week after I return home.**

**For anyone that wants to know, the course I am attending is a Basic Pipe and Drum course at, as I've said, CTC Blackdown (CTC = Cadet Training Centre). I will be learning to play the bagpipes and I am very excited. Blackdown is up at CFB/BFC Borden (CFB = Canadian Forces Base, or for the French, Base des Forces Canadiens), which isn't far from where I live. For anyone who noticed what I said above about "eating real food" on Sundays, that's because during the three week course, I'll either be eating MREs/IMPs (MRE = Meals Ready to Eat, IMP = Instant Meal Package) or I'll be eating at the mess hall. Either way, the food is rather disgusting (Especially the MRE crackers! *Shudder* They are absolutely disgusting! And they're hard to break! They taste like cardboard).**

**Anyways, I hope that you won't mind too much that I will not be updating for the next three weeks, I do apologise. **

**Have a great Summer, everyone, I'll see y'all in three weeks!**

**Sincerely,**

**MissFiyerabaMeponine/Ashley**

**P.S For those of you who are still interested in the One Towards the Other sequel, no I have not given up on it. I have most of the plot figured out, but I probably won't start working on it until I've finished some of the stories I'm currently working on. **

**P.S.S For any of you who have read Une Pauvre Fille, I'm thinking of writing a companion story to that, which will focus on Marius and Éponine's married life (thanks to I Am Your Singer 2006 for that suggestion).**

**P.S.S.S (Okay, last one) I also have in mind an idea for a fanfiction based off of the Les Mis anime, Shoujo Cosette (A Girl Named Cosette), which will be called Shoujo Éponine (A Girl Named Éponine).**

**P.S.S.S.S (Okay, I lied. But this one really is the last one!) I'm also planning another fanfic called The Boy Nextdoor (no relation to my other fanfic, The Girl Nextdoor) which will be from Éponine's point of view (I believe it was I Am Your Singer 2006 who requested that I write a story in first person). Though, of course, this and Shoujo Éponine will have to be put on hold until I've finished writing some stories and won't be started until after the One Towards the Other Sequel (I still don't have a name for it) and the Une Pauve Fille companion story. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! So it's about 6:30 AM and I've been up for an hour, so... we'll see where this goes...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Misérables or the characters**

_Marius kissed Eponine passionately as he held her close to him. She kissed him back, her arms wrapped around his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist. Marius kissed her neck, and then her jaw, and then her lips again._

_"Oh Marius..." Eponine murmured lovingly. _

_"Oh 'Ponine..." Marius replied._

Marius woke with a start and sat up. He glanced over at the sleeping form of Eponine on his bed. _I cannot keep having these dreams..._ Marius thought, shaking his head. He quietly got up and walked over to where Eponine slept peacefully. She didn't look like she was in pain, which was a good thing. That meant that whatever the doctor had given her was working. Marius gently tucked a strand of loose hair behind Eponine's ear and watched her sleep for a bit. It was hard to believe that her father, the man who had raised her, had done this to her, that he had beaten her so mercilessly. Marius only wished that she had told him sooner. He would have tried to stop her father, or at the very least, he would have offered Eponine a place to live, so that she wouldn't have to return to that. He gazed sadly at his friend. She didn't deserve the life she lived, she really didn't. Eponine was a good person. Yes, she pick-pocketed, and yes, she adept at lying, but she was a good person at heart. She was caring and selfless. She always put those she cared about above herself. She didn't pick-pocket because she needed to, she pick-pocketed because she feared being beaten by her father. She very rarely kept any of what she pick-pocketed for herself. She almost always gave it all to her father. She only kept some for herself when she managed to steal more than usual. Even then she would rarely keep any. No matter how much money she managed to get, it was never enough to her father. He was never happy with her. Her mother never made any attempt to stop him, her mother never tried to help Eponine.

Eponine didn't think much of herself. She didn't think she was pretty, she didn't think she was even worth knowing. _She's wrong..._ Marius thought, _She's beautiful and I'm glad that I know her. My life's been changed for the better because she's in it. _He gently kissed her forehead. He could have sworn that he saw her smile. _She's my best friend. I don't know what I'd do without her._

Marius looked out the small window in his flat. It was starting to get lighter outside. He guessed that it was about 7:00. If he listened, he could hear the sound of people talking downstairs. Then he heard something about Patria. _Enjolras is awake. _Marius thought.

"Monsieur?" Eponine groggily whispered. Marius looked at her.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"I've been better." she replied tersely. "Though it's not quite as bad as it was last night."

"Are you hungry?"

"A little."

"Come on, let's go downstairs and get some breakfast." he said. He helped her up and then, noticing that she limped when she walked, he wrapped an arm around her waist to make sure that she didn't fall. He brought her downstairs to the cafe. As he helped her down the stairs, he noticed that most of Les Amis de l'ABC were already there. Grantaire seemed to have awoken from his drunken stupor. Joly and Bossuet were playing cards while they waited for the waitress at the cafe to bring them their food. Enjolras and Combeferre were discussing politics. The only one's that seemed to be missing were Bahoral, Prouvaire, Courfeyrac, and Feuilly.

Marius brought Eponine over to a table and helped her to sit down. He read the menu to her and, when they'd both decided what they wanted, he went and told the waitress. When he returned to the table, he found that Grantaire was watching them.

"Lovebirds..." Marius heard Grantaire mutter. He could see that Eponine had heard as well; she was blushing. Grantaire noticed her blush and started to laugh. Enjolras shot him a reproving look, which seemed to shut him up.

"So, 'Ponine," Marius said as the waitress brought them their food, "I was thinking... after what you said about your father... if you ever wanted somewhere else to live, well... my door's always open for you." Eponine smiled slightly.

"That's very kind of you, Monsieur." she said, "But I could never... my father would search for me and I don't want you to get hurt." She didn't mention that it would be hard for her to hide her feelings for him if she was living with him.

"Your father would be the one getting hurt."

"He has a gang, Marius. The Patron Minette. They'd hurt you, possibly even kill you..." she told him quietly. Marius couldn't think of a reply. They ate their meal in silence.

Eponine watched as Marius and the rest of Les Amis de l'ABC all left the cafe and went to their classes at the university. Marius had offered to skip his classes so he could stay with her, but Eponine had told him not to worry about her and that he needed to go to his classes if he ever hoped to become a lawyer. After they were gone, Eponine asked the waitress help her to write a letter. The waitress was a kind, old woman who agreed right away to help her. Eponine addressed the letter to Marius, and with the help of the old woman, she wrote:

_Dear Marius,_

_I am leaving, and by the time you will have read this, I'll be gone. Thank you for your kindness and for helping _

_me last night. If not for you, I probably would have died. I'm sorry, but I could not stay here. I know that you _

_are not rich, that you can hardly afford to care for yourself, much less for me. Do not worry about me. I am not _

_returning to my father. Not yet, anyway. You may see me in the streets, I'll be around._

_Eponine_

She left the letter with the waitress, who agreed to give it to Marius, and she took to the streets once more. She tried not to think about the pain she felt, or about the earsplitting headache that attacked her head. She tried to ignore the dizziness and, as she collapsed in an alleyway several streets away from the Musain, the darkness that came without warning.

**Not a very long chapter, but there ya go! Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter was begging to be written, so here it is! Enjoy the depression!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Misérables, but I've been told more than once that I make it live up to its name :P**

It had been more than a month since Marius had last seen Eponine Thenardier. 45 days, to be exact. It had gotten colder outside. He had searched for her several times, but to no avail. It seemed that she had disappeared off the face of the earth. He'd asked almost everyone in Paris if they'd seen her, but no one had. Marius had been worried that her father had found her and had either locked her up, or had done something to her, but then he'd heard from Gavroche that none of the other Thenardiers had seen or heard from her. Marius didn't know what to do. It wasn't like he could just go to the police and file a missing persons report. Eponine was a streetrat. The police didn't care about streetrats. He didn't know where else to look. He wasn't nearly as familiar with the streets of Paris as Eponine was. No one was... except...

"Gavroche!" Marius called out as he crossed the street to where the young boy stood. Gavroche turned.

"'Elle there, Marius." Gavroche greeted him. "What can I do for ya?"

"I was wondering if you could help me look for Eponine." he replied.

"I don' think ya need to worry 'bout 'er. 'Ponine knows 'er way 'round Paris. She's probably jus' hidin' from our father."

"I still want to find her," Marius said, "it's getting colder outside and I'm worried about her. Last time I saw her, she was injured... Well what if something happened to her? What if she's lying somewhere, injured?"

"You worry a lot." Gavroche commented. "But I'll 'elp ya find 'er."

Marius and Gavroche spent all day searching for Eponine and now, night had fallen.

"Let's give it a break, Marius." Gavroche said, "We can try again tomorrow." Marius sighed and nodded. Gavroche smiled at him before running off. Marius decided to keep looking for just a little bit longer. He walked through the dark and unfamiliar streets in the part of Paris known as Pantin.

"Eponine?" Marius called out, getting desperate now. "Eponine, are you out here?" Receiving no reply, he decided to head back to his flat. But then, he heard a cough. "Eponine?" he called again. Another cough, followed by a raspy voice that said,

"Monsieur M-Marius?"

Marius looked around and caught sight of a dark alleyway. He headed towards it, for that's where Eponine's voice seemed to have come from. In the darkness, he saw a pair of eyes that watched him and that came from a figure laying on the ground. As he walked closer, he could distinctly make out the figure's features. It was indeed Eponine, though, Marius noticed as he knelt down next to her, her face was thin and gaunt. She was skinnier than he'd ever seen her and she almost looked completely skeletal. Even in the darkness, Marius could see that she was very pale. Her lips were dry and cracked and her forehead was beaded with an icy sweat. Marius gently pressed a hand to her forehead and found that her temperature was dangerously high. He also noticed that every so often she would wince, as if she were in pain.

"'Ponine..." he whispered. She smiled slightly. Marius could see that even such a small feat as smiling seemed to take immense effort. "What happened?" he breathed.

"Got sick." she replied in that same raspy voice, which led Marius to believe that she was dehydrated. Marius gently lifted her from the ground, finding that she weighed almost nothing. She'd always been thin, but this... this was different. Now she was pretty much skin and bones. The illness and the lack of the ability to get food had left her like this, with nothing left to fight with. Though, he did notice, her stomach didn't seem to be as thin as the rest of her, but was still thinner than it should have been. Eponine rested her head against his shoulder, unable to support it herself.

"I'm taking you to the hospital." he told her. Eponine made no objections. Marius carried her to the hospital, walking as quickly as he could. He would have run, but he didn't want to risk tripping and possibly dropping her. Occasionally, he would glance down at her, as if to make sure that she was still there. It was hard for him to see her like this, so pale, so thin, so sick. It scared him.

As he carried her into the hospital, a doctor saw them and immediately showed him into a room. Marius placed Eponine down on the hospital bed. In the lamp light, he could now see that her skin almost looked grey and that her collarbone jutted out quite visibly. The poor girl really did have nothing left to fight this illness with, for that's what an illness does; it weakens you, makes you defenseless. The doctor examined her. He listened to her heartbeat, then listened to her breathing. He took some blood samples, which normally Eponine would not have liked, but she didn't seem to be very aware of it. The doctor, his examination complete, looked at them gravely. Marius knew that, whatever it was, it was bad.

"Have you experienced any sharp or stabbing chest pains?" he asked her.

"Yes." she croaked.

"Have you coughed up any blood?"

"Yes." she replied. The doctor frowned.

"It might be pneumonia." he said. Marius' eyes widened. "But that's being optimistic. It could also be tuberculosis."

"No..." Marius whispered.

"I'm afraid so." the doctor continued. "However, it's hard to be sure. The hemoptysis **(1)** is peculiar to tuberculosis, but the sharp chest pains are peculiar to pneumonia. She is very malnourished, so that could be how she contracted tuberculosis, but pneumonia is spreading around at this time of year. If it's pneumonia, then we can treat it. If it's tuberculosis... there really isn't much we can do."

"How... how can we be certain?" Marius asked.

"Well," said the doctor, "we could start her on the medication for pneumonia and see if it works. If it's pneumonia, she'll most likely get better, if not..."

"Then I'll die." Eponine said bluntly.

"We have to try then." Marius told the doctor.

"I should tell you, the medication isn't cheap. It costs 40 francs."

"40 francs..." Eponine breathed. Then she started to cough, horrible, choked coughs.

"I'll get the money." Marius said.

"I... I'm not worth it..." she whispered.

"Yes you are," Marius disagreed, "you're my best friend, 'Ponine. I need you to live."

"I'll get the first dose ready." the doctor said.

"I'll go get the money." Marius replied. Then, looking at Eponine again, he added, "I'll be back soon."

Marius ran out of the hospital and down the streets of Paris. He didn't stop running until he reached No. 6 Rue des Filles du Calvaire. He quickly knocked on the door. Basque, the valet, opened the door.

"Ah, Monsieur Pontmercy, you have returned home." he greeted him, standing aside so that he could enter.

"Not quite." Marius replied as he stepped inside. "Is grandfather awake?"

"He is in his sitting room."

"Then I will go see him." Marius walked to the sitting room and found Monsieur Gillenormand there, reading a book. Upon his entering the room, Monsieur Gillenormand looked up at Marius and smiled.

"Ah, my boy, you've returned!"

"I haven't." the old man's smile disappeared.

"So you're in need of money, then." Gillenormand stated. It wasn't a question. Marius nodded. "What for?"

"For my studies."

"That's a lie. What do you really need the money for?" Marius sighed.

"My best friend is dying. I need money for the medication."

"What's her dowry?"

"None." Marius replied.

"None! Then why is she worth saving!?"

"Because she is my best friend! I don't know what I'd do without her, father! She means so much to me..." he sounded broken.

"Ah, you have called me father!" the old man said delightedly. "What is her name, this 'friend'?"

"Eponine."

"What does she mean to you?"

"Everything." Marius told him. Gillenormand smiled and then, out of his pocket, pulled out 3 gold Napoleons **(2)**.

"Is three Louis d'Or **(3)** enough?"

"I only need two."

"Then keep the third for yourself." Gillenormand said as he stood and walked over to Marius. He handed him the money.

"Thank you, father!" Marius exclaimed. He hugged the old man, who was still smiling.

After saying a quick goodbye, Marius ran back to the hospital and into the room where Eponine was. He handed the doctor two of the gold Napoleons and kept the third in his pocket.

"It would be best for her to stay in the hospital for now." the doctor said. Marius looked at Eponine, who was on the verge of falling asleep. "You can stay with her, if you'd like." he added. Marius smiled slightly and sat in the chair next to her hospital bed. He hoped that the medication would work, that it was only pneumonia and not tuberculosis. The doctor walked over to the door, but before leaving the room, he paused. "There's one more thing." Eponine looked at him.

"Yes?" she asked.

"You're pregnant."

**Aaaand there ya have it! Please review!**

**(1) Hemoptysis is the medical term for coughing up blood**

**(2) A Napoleon is a 20 franc piece**

**(3) Louis d'Or is the old name for the Napoleon, though Royalists, such as Gillenormand, preferred to call them Louis d'Or as they were named after the king, Louis. Bonapartists (or as a Royalist would say, Buonapartists) preferred to call them Napoleons.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I thought of how I was going to write this while I was lying in bed last night, so here it is!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Misérables or the characters.**

**Just to recap...**

The doctor walked over to the door, but before leaving the room, he paused. "There's one more thing." Eponine looked at him.

"Yes?" she asked.

"You're pregnant."

Eponine's jaw dropped. And, with that, the doctor left the room. Eponine blinked a couple of times. She was shocked. Yes, she'd been throwing up a lot, but she'd thought that was from being sick. She hadn't even considered that possibility that she could be pregnant... with Marius' child... Marius looked at her, not sure of what to say. He hoped that it didn't belong to Montparnasse, or to any of the Patron Minette for that matter. To his knowledge, it couldn't belong to someone that Eponine truly loved. Surely she would have told him if she way seeing somebody, wouldn't she? _Or, _Marius thought, _maybe her father finally forced her down to the docks... maybe she doesn't even know who the father is... But maybe she does..._

"'Ponine–"

"I know what you're going to ask, Marius." Eponine said in a very forcedly calm voice, "And it's you. You're the father." Marius' eyes widened. Eponine coughed a bit.

"But we never... well, we never..." then it dawned on him. _The dreams... but they weren't dreams, they were memories..._ "The night I got drunk with Grantaire." he said. Eponine nodded. "But how? I mean, what exactly happened that night?" he asked. Eponine had been dreading this question.

"Well, you were really, _really_ drunk, so I helped you home." She cut herself off by a series of horrible, choked coughs. Seeing that Marius looked alarmed, she waved him off and then continued, "I didn't want you to end up laying in some alleyway... And then, when we arrived at your flat... um... you uh... well... you..." she hesitated, not quite sure of how to continue.

"Yes?"

"You pushed me up against the wall and kissed me. Quite passionately, actually. And I, well I kissed you back. Then you picked me up and carried me to the bed. You told me that you loved me, and then we..." she trailed off, knowing that she didn't really need to continue. Marius thought about this for a moment. _Well that definitely explains the dreams, _he thought.

"But why did you...? I mean, you... you could have said no, so, uh, why didn't you?"

"Because I love you, you fool!" Eponine told him. Her hand flew to her mouth as she realised what she'd just said. _Oh God... I just told him that I love him... Oh God... _Eponine thought. Then she coughed again, but she didn't even notice that blood splattered her hands each time she coughed into them, she was too focused on Marius. He looked surprised.

"You... you do?" Marius asked, not noticing the blood either. Eponine nodded. "'Ponine, I–"

"It's okay, Marius. I know you don't really love me. You were drunk when you said that you did. It's okay, I understand. You deserve better than me anyway..." she said. "I love you, it's true, but I understand that you don't feel the same way."

"'Ponine, I–"

"But I do have one question... why did you pay so much money for medication for me? Why, when it might not even work? Why do you want me to live?" she asked, not really noticing that she'd asked more than one question.

"Because I love you, you fool." Marius said quietly. Eponine's breath hitched in her throat. She hadn't been expecting that. She had never actually believed, apart from that one night, that he would ever return the love she felt for him. "'Ponine, I love you. I'm sorry it took me so long to realise it, but I do. I love you 'Ponine. You're beautiful, funny, smart, kind, caring, and you're my best friend. I love you." He took her hand and was about to kiss it when he noticed the blood splattered on it. A horrified expression came across his face. "'Ponine..." he looked at her. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she started to shake and convulse uncontrollably. She was having a seizure. "Oh God..." he whispered. "Help!" he called out. The doctor came rushing in. He hurried over to Eponine and carefully moved her so that she was laying on her side in the recovery position. He went and grabbed a sponge and then dampened it in a basin of water. He went back to Eponine and gently dabbed her face with the damp sponge. After a couple of minutes, the seizure stopped. Eponine blinked and then looked at Marius, who had tears rolling down his cheeks. "Oh 'Ponine..." he whispered shakily. He kissed her forehead lightly.

"Seizures are more a sign of tuberculosis than pneumonia, but it's not completely unheard of for someone with pneumonia to have a seizure." the doctor said. Then, noticing the blood, he cleaned her hands with the sponge. The seizure had left Eponine tired and weak. "If she has another seizure, let me know." the doctor said before leaving the room again. Eponine reached up and gently wiped the tears away from Marius' face. He turned his head and softly kissed the palm of her hand. He was so worried about her. What if it was tuberculosis? What if she did die? But it wouldn't only be her who died, she was with child. He'd lose them both... Marius glanced at her stomach. He knew now why it wasn't quite as thin as the rest of her. Their child was growing in her stomach. Their child... it was still hard for Marius to believe. But he found himself strangely happy that it was his. But if he lost them...

"You have to live..." Marius whispered brokenly, "both of you..." Eponine glanced at her stomach. She rested a hand there.

"July." Eponine said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"The baby should be born in July. It's been about a month since we... and it's November now, in 8 months it will be July." she explained, smiling weakly. Marius smiled slightly as well, but the smile did not touch his eyes. As she said this, Marius was wondering if she would live that long.

**Not very long, but there you have it! So what gender do you guys think the baby should be?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys, here's the next chapter.**

**Also, thanks to WeAllHaveAnEscape for helping me when I had writer's block.**

**One more thing, I was depressed while writing the majority of this chapter, so that's why it is the way it is.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Misérables or any of the characters...**

Night had fallen and Eponine was asleep. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully. She didn't toss and turn; she didn't really move at all. She looked to be quite calm. Marius, however, was unable to sleep. He was overwhelmed by 'what ifs'. _What if she dies? What if I lose them both? What if she dies, but the baby lives? I can't lose her... I need her... I love her... _He gently pressed his lips to her forehead. He frowned as he realised that her fever had gotten even worse. _What will I do if she dies? _He gently took one of her hands in his own.

"I love you, 'Ponine..." he whispered. A few tears fell from his bright green eyes as he imagined losing her. The mere thought was painful. She was his best friend and he loved her. _I'm in love with my best friend... _he thought, smiling slightly despite the tears that fell freely from his eyes _How many people can say that?_ His eyes moved to her stomach and the very small bump that was there. It was so small that you could only really see it if you were looking for it. Then Marius found himself thinking ahead. What might their child look like? He imagined a beautiful baby girl, with his bright green eyes and Eponine's dark hair. Then he pictured an adorable baby boy with Eponine's eyes and his hair colour. He could almost see the girl taking her first steps, or the boy running and laughing. He could see the little girl smile, the same beautiful smile that belonged to Eponine. His thoughts turned back to Eponine. He needed her to live, oh God how he needed her to live. He softly kissed her hand and then continued to watch her sleep. She was so pale, so thin, so... sick. If one were to look upon her, one would not think that she had much time left. She had dark bags under her eyes and her face was gaunt and sunken in. She was hardly more than a skeleton! It was amazing that she still managed to cling on to life when she looked like she ought to have died long ago. Marius closed his eyes and did something that he had not done for quite a while: he prayed.

A week had passed. Eponine had not been able to leave the hospital. She seemed only to be getting worse. The doctor had assured Marius that this was normal, that many sick people got worse before they got better. But Marius had difficulty believing that she would ever get better. She had lost even more weight, which had seemed inpossible! She was wasting away, there was hardly anything left of her. She was no more than a ghost of the girl she'd once been. She could barely even lift her head anymore! Marius prayed every night for her, hoping beyond hope that she would live, and that the baby would live. The baby bump was a bit more noticable, but only because she had lost so much weight everywhere else. Marius wondered if he would ever even get to see their child; if Eponine would live to give birth to the baby. It did not seem like she would.

Marius walked into the hospital room. He rarely left her side, but he had needed to visit his grandfather. He had needed to ask for more money to pay the hospital bills. Marius, who had once refused to take any money that he himself had not earned, was asking his grandfather for money. But he was doing it for Eponine. He would do anything for her. With the money from Monsieur Gillenormand, Eponine was able to stay in the hospital, where the doctor could tend to her as needed. And it was needed. Eponine was very sick and needed a doctor's care.

He walked over to her. Eponine's eyes were closed and she seemed to be asleep. Her long, dark eyelashes quivered against her cheek with each shaky breath. Her breathing was very _very_ slow. For a moment, Marius thought that she wasn't breathing at all. But then he noticed the slight rise and fall of her chest and he let out a breath that he hadn't realised he'd been holding in. He kissed her forehead lightly. With effort, Eponine slowly opened her eyes. Even this simple task seemed difficult to her! She saw Marius and her face lit up. It broke Marius' heart. She smiled weakly.

"Hello Monsieur..." Her voice was weak, barely more than a whisper, and was broken by horrible, choked coughs that wracked her body and left her wheezing afterwards. The poor girl shivered. She never felt warm anymore. Her world had turned cold. Marius sat down next to her on the hospital bed (Eponine took up so little space that there was room for both of them) and took her in his arms. "I missed you." she whispered.

"I'm here now, 'Ponine. I won't ever leave you." he replied softly. She smiled again and closed her eyes.

"The light's too bright..." she murmured, "it hurts my eyes." It was night time and the only light came from that of a single candle and the moon that was visible through the window. Marius reached over and put the candle out.

"Is that better?" he asked. Eponine opened her eyes and then answered,

"Yes."

Her head was resting against Marius' chest. She could hear his heart beating and that seemed to comfort her. Eponine shivered again. Marius held her even closer, though being careful not to hurt her.

"It's turned so cold."

"I'll keep you warm." Marius whispered. He kissed her cheek softly. Tears fell from his eyes as he held the seemingly dying girl. Eponine, with difficulty, placed a hand on her stomach, where her baby bump was. Marius placed a hand over top of hers, causing her to smile.

"I think... it's a... boy..." Forming words was becoming near impossible for Eponine. Marius would have smiled, had her voice not been so weak. She blinked a couple of times and then shuddered. Marius noticed this and began to worry.

"'Ponine? Are you alright?"

"There's a d-darkness... which comes without... a... warning." she replied. More tears fell from Marius' eyes. He feared she was nearing her end. She closed her eyes once again. "I'm... so... tired..." she whispered, her voice even weaker than before. Marius' tears dripped down on to her face. "Don't cry... M'sieur. I l-love you... and I'll see you... when I... wake..." Her breathing stopped and so did her heart.

**Depressing, right? Don't worry, this isn't the end of the story. There will be several more chapters and you'll see how in the next one. Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I **_**was**_** going to sleep, but as that clearly wasn't happening, I decided to write this. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Mis or the characters**

"Eponine?" Marius breathed, shaking her lightly. _No, please no..._ "Eponine?" he shook her a bit harder. "No... no, no, no, no!" He checked for a pulse and found none. "Oh God, please no! Doctor! Someone! Oh, please no! Help! Oh God..." he cried out. Tears fell rapidly from his eyes as he looked down at the girl he loved, who lay limp in his arms, motionless. The grief he felt was immediate and it ripped through him, making his chest feel heavy with remorse. _She can't be dead! Not my 'Ponine! She can't be gone! And... and our child too! I've lost them both... Oh God! No... no, God please no..._ Marius sobbed as he held Eponine in his arms. He kissed her forehead softly. The doctor came rushing in. He looked at Eponine and then hurried over to her. Marius let go of Eponine and moved out of the way, getting off the bed, so that the doctor could try to help her.

As the doctor tried to resuscitate Eponine, Marius sank to his knees, his hands clasped together as he prayed. He had never been particularly religious, but ever since he had first found Eponine sick and dying, he found himself praying multiple times, nearly every day. Though he did not necessarily believe in God, sometimes he just needed to believe that someone, somewhere would listen to his prayers and save Eponine. He just needed her to live. But now, he was finding it hard to have any faith. _Eponine is dead. What is there to believe in?_ He buried his face in his hands and cried. _I love her and... and she's gone... How... how does it even happen!? She was alive, she was there in my arms, talking to me, smiling at me, and now... she's gone... She was alive and now she's not..._ He continued to sob. He felt like he would never be happy again. _I can't believe she's gone... I knew she was sick, but still... I just can't believe it... My sweet, beautiful, beautiful 'Ponine... _Marius no longer had any hope for, well, anything. He was broken.

How long Marius stayed like that, on his knees with his face in his hands, he did not know. He did not seem to have the strength to move, nor the will. It was not until the doctor placed a hand on his shoulder that Marius looked up. The doctor frowned as he looked at this poor, broken young man, who looked like he had nothing left to live for. There was no light in his eyes, no hope. There was nothing. He was destroyed. He had lost everything of importance to him: the girl he loved. Marius had died inside. The doctor smiled at him.

"She's alive."

Marius froze for a moment. Then, a large smile lit up his face. Those two words filled him with such ecstasy, such joy. Though, of course, he knew that she was not yet out of the woods, she was still alive! She was not gone, there was still hope! Marius stood up.

"Thank you, Doctor." Marius said quietly. The doctor nodded before leaving the room. Marius walked over to Eponine. Her eyes were closed, but he could see that she was breathing. He clutched her hand. Silent tears fell from his eyes. The brief moment of joy upon finding that she was not dead had all but disappeared, being replaced with worry. He kissed her hand before sitting down next to her and gently hugging her to him. He held her close, tears falling from his eyes. "Oh God, 'Ponine..." he murmured, burying his face in her hair. He rocked her back and forth, just happy that she was alive. Yes, she was still sick, but she was alive. She was alive when she had been dead only moments before. He kissed her hair. "I love you, 'Ponine... I love you so much..."

He stayed there, with Eponine, the whole night. He did not sleep, he just watched her, thankful that she was alive; that there was a possibility that she could live through this sickness; that she could live to give birth to their child. He often whispered to her that he loved her. He wasn't sure whether or not she could hear him, but he whispered to her anyway. He wanted her to know that he was there, that he would never leave her. But then he realised that he had to leave her. There was something that he had to do. He would return, of course, but leaving would still be hard nevertheless. He remembered a line from a manuscript he'd read that summed it up perfectly, _Parting is such sweet sorrow._ Marius kissed her forehead before getting up.

"I'll be back soon." Marius promised her before leaving.

Eponine woke about 20 minutes after Marius had left. She was surprised to find that she was alone. She wondered faintly where Marius was. Hadn't she closed her eyes only a few moments ago? _I must have fallen asleep... _she thought. During the 20 minutes that Marius had been gone, the doctor had already given Eponine her daily dose of medicine. He normally did it while she was sleeping as he remembered that Eponine was not too fond of needles.

It was not long after she woke that Marius returned. His eyes lit up when he saw that she was awake and he hurried to her side. She smiled weakly at him. It was the most beautiful thing that Marius had ever seen.

"H'llo M'sieur..." she murmured, her voice still weak.

"Hello there, 'Ponine." he replied. He kissed her forehead, causing her to smile again. "How do you feel?"

"Been better." she admitted. Marius nodded in understanding.

"'Ponine?"

"Yes?"

"I love you. I love you so much. You're my best friend and you're pregnant with my child. You are the most amazing woman I've ever met. You're funny, and kind, and beautiful, and caring, and I love you with all that I am. I guess what I'm trying to say is..." Marius knelt down and pulled a small black box out of his pocket. He opened it, revealing a gold ring laced with silver and tiny blue sapphires. "Will you marry me?"

**I hope you liked it! Sorry if there are errors, I'm too tired to go through and edit it (it's nearly 3 in the morning). And with that, I am going to bed. Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Sorry if it's kind of a filler chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Mis or the characters**

Eponine's eyes widened upon hearing these four words: _will you marry me?_

"I... I... yes! Yes, of course!" she exclaimed with a sudden burst of energy. Happiness can cause such things to occur. "Of course I'll marry you!" She smiled widely. Marius grinned before kissing her forehead and then slipping the ring on to her finger. He kissed her hand. Eponine sat up, seeming stronger than she had in days, and wrapped her arms around his waist. Marius hugged her back, though he was a bit worried, wondering how long this sudden strength would last for. The answer was not very long. She soon fell back, exhausted. He sat down next to her on the bed. "I love you, Marius." she murmured.

"I love you too, _ma fiancée_." he replied. He gently took her in his arms. Eponine smiled lightly and rested her head against his chest. She loved listening to the sound of his heart beat. It was always a source of comfort as it always reminded her that he was there.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a good pillow?" she murmured tiredly as she closed her eyes. Marius laughed quietly.

"Only you, 'Ponine. Only you."

...

A couple more weeks passed and Eponine had started to recover. The medication had finally started to work, making it clear that it was only pneumonia and not tuberculosis. She would live. Marius, at Eponine's insistance, had gone to see Les Amis de l'ABC a few times, so they wouldn't worry ("They won't worry." Marius had insisted. "They're your friends, of course they'll worry. For all they know, you could be dead!" had been Eponine's reply.) A few had even come back with Marius to see Eponine, which had been a pleasant surprise (Courfeyrac had made her laugh, her first real laugh in months, though it had been at the expense of Joly, who had maintained what he deemed to be a safe distance from Eponine, who had still been rather ill). None of the Amis had noticed the baby bump, nor had they been told that Eponine was pregnant. Or that she and Marius were engaged... or that they were even in a relationship! (Eponine and Marius had decided that it would be funnier if they waited to tell them anything until Eponine's baby bump was more visible, just to surprise them even more.)

"Don't you ever get bored?" Eponine asked one day, shortly after receiving a dose of medicine.

"Get bored of what?" Marius asked, absentmindedly playing with a strand of her hair.

"Laying here with me for hours on end. I know I'm stuck here, but you aren't. Don't you get bored?"

"'Ponine, I could never get bored of being with you." he told her, causing her to blush. He smiled and kissed her temple. "Soon we'll be able to leave the hospital," he said, "soon you'll be all better." Eponine smiled.

"I hope so," she said, "I really don't like hospitals."

"I know you don't, but if not for hospitals and doctors..."

"I'd be dead right now." Eponine finished for him. Marius didn't say anything, but nodded, a far away look in his eyes. He was, despite how hard he tried not to, thinking of how close Eponine had come to dying, to leaving him. Well, technically she had died and had then been resuscitated. Eponine knew what was undoubtedly in his mind and she kissed his cheek. "But I'm not." she reminded him, "I'm alive and I'm here with you. I'll never leave you."

"Thank God." he breathed. "I don't know what I'd do without you, 'Ponine."

"I'm sure your world would go on turning." she said, a bit of sadness creeping into her voice. She still found it hard to believe, despite the fact that they were engaged and that she was pregnant with his child and he had not abandoned her, that he actually loved her. It seemed too good to be true. And what had she done to deserve love? She was a thief, she was a streetrat. She wondered what exactly Marius could possibly see in her.

"No," Marius told her, "it wouldn't. I love you, 'Ponine, with all that I am. Without you... I'd be lost." he thought back to when he had nearly lost her and shuddered at the memory. Eponine took hold of one of his hands and kissed it.

"I'm here." she repeated. Marius smiled.

"Thank God."

"I love you, Marius."

"I love you too, _ma belle _'Ponine." he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. It was the first time he had kissed her on the lips since the night he had been drunk, as Eponine hadn't wanted him to get sick. Eponine smiled as Marius placed a hand on her baby bump, which had gotten a bit bigger, but still wasn't very noticeable. "I think the baby will be a girl, and she's going to be beautiful like you."

"I think it'll be a boy, who'll be just as good looking as his father." Eponine said, still smiling, as she placed a hand on top of his. Marius smiled. Both were silent for a few minutes, just thinking about what the future would hold.

"It's still hard to believe that we're going to be parents." he said. Eponine nodded in agreement.

"But I think we can do it, no– I know we can do it. Together."

...

After another week, the doctor finally told Eponine that she was healthy enough to leave the hospital. Eponine smiled brightly and all but jumped out of the hospital bed. Both she and Marius thanked the doctor numerous times and Marius discreetly payed the doctor, hoping it would escape Eponine's notice. He knew that she didn't like that he payed for her. Eponine did not accept charity. Though Marius had tried to tell her that he was doing it out of love and not pity, Eponine still was not completely happy with it. She just felt bad because she knew that she wouldn't be able to pay him back.

"Before you leave, there is one more thing you should probably know." the doctor said to Eponine.

"Yes?" Eponine asked.

"You're pregnant–"

"We've already had this conversation."

"–with twins."

**Hope you enjoyed, please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Here's the next chapter... this one was... amusing to write**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Misérables or the characters.**

Eponine fainted out of sheer shock. Marius almost didn't catch her, having been so surprised by the news that she was pregnant with twins. Twins... Marius was trying very hard not to freak out. He'd been nervous even when he thought Eponine was only pregnant with one baby, but two... two babies... Though, despite the fear, Marius was not upset by this news. There would be two beautiful children that he would get to raise with Eponine. Two beautiful children that he hoped might look just like their mother. He found himself trying to picture them. Then he looked at Eponine, who was limp in his arms. She was clearly surprised by the news as well. She had been worried that she wouldn't be a good mother and finding out that she was pregnant with twins made her doubly afraid. Marius looked at the doctor.

"Are... are you sure?" he asked. The doctor nodded. "How do you know?"

"Well, her stomach is larger than it would be were she pregnant with only one child, and when I last listened to her stomach with my stethoscope, I heard two heartbeats." The doctor explained. Marius looked at Eponine again. The doctor did the same. "She'll be fine. She'll probably wake up soon, having only passed out from shock." he said. Marius nodded, finding that he seemed to have lost the ability to speak.

Soon enough, Eponine opened her eyes and immediately looked at Marius, who was still holding her.

"We're having twins..." she said quietly.

"I know..." Marius replied, just as quiet.

"How do you feel about that?"

"We're going to have two beautiful babies," he smiled slightly. Eponine smiled back. "They're going to be beautiful, like you." He set her back on her feet. "Ready to go?" he asked her. She nodded. He took hold her her hand and they left the hospital together, after thanking the doctor once again. Eponine smiled as they walked through the streets together, the fingers intertwined, heading towards Marius' apartment above the Musain. She was unbelievably happy. Marius loved her. He actually loved her... and she was pregnant with his children. As much as the last part both worried and scared her, she found herself looking forward to being a mother. Especially since Marius would be the father. Not only that, but they were also engaged! They were going to get married! Eponine had always dreamed of that, and now she would finally have her dream come true. He was her fiancé. She liked the sound of the word. Fiancé. Betrothed. She liked it a lot.

Marius was also very happy. He would be marrying his best friend. That was the perfect love story. They were best friends and they were in love. They were going to get married and she was going to have his children. His best friend, Eponine, the woman he loved... In his eyes, she was perfect. She was all he would ever want in life. He was going to marry her...

When they walked into the Cafe Musain, all of Les Amis de l'ABC turned to look at them. Once they took in the sight of Marius and Eponine holding hands, Joly, Bossuet, Feuilly, Bahoral, Prouvaire, and Grantaire all turned to look at Courfeyrac.

"He's clearly noticed." Bahoral said.

"They're clearly together." Bossuet added.

"You made the bet." Joly reminded him.

"Pay up." Grantaire finished.

"Why do I have the feeling that we're missing something?" Eponine asked Marius.

"Courfeyrac bet the others that Marius would never notice that you're in love with him." Enjolras explained to them.

"And they all disagreed." Combeferre said. Courfeyrac sighed and started to reach for the money in his pocket, but then stopped. He looked at them, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

"Wait," he said, "who said it first?"

"Said what first?" Marius asked.

"Who said 'I love you' first?"

"I did." Eponine replied. Courfeyrac laughed. The others groaned.

"Pay up." Courfeyrac said to them, grinning. One by one, the Amis, sans Combeferre and Enjolras as they had not participated in the 'foolish' bet, payed Courfeyrac the money they had bet. Eponine and Marius shared a look.

"So you guys actually bet on whether or not I would ever notice that Eponine loves me?" Marius asked. They all nodded. "I... am actually not quite sure what to say about that." Eponine laughed quietly. Then Jean Prouvaire, the romantic of the group, noticed the ring on Eponine's left hand.

"You're engaged!" he exclaimed, a smile on his face. "Congratulations!" There was a chorus of congratulations from all of the Amis. Eponine smiled. She had guessed that Jean would be the first to notice the ring. It was also, she thought, only a matter of time before one of them noticed her baby bump.

"Some wine to celebrate!" Grantaire said. He was obviously already drunk, though that was not surprising in the least. He poured them each a glass.

"That's, er, kind of you, Grantaire. But no thank you." Eponine said politely, knowing that alcohol would not be good for the baby... babies. Grantaire shrugged and took the glass that had been meant for her and downed it. Marius eyed the other glass of wine and then glanced at Eponine. "Go ahead." she said to him, under her breath. He smiled and took the glass, quickly downing it. "But no getting drunk, Monsieur." she said, a slight grin on her face.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"That's what you said last time."

"Well this time I mean it."

"I've heard that before." Eponine said, but she smiled and kissed his cheek lightly.

"That's going to take some getting used to." Courfeyrac commented.

"I think it's sweet." Prouvaire said.

"You think anything to do with romance is sweet."

"Because it is!" Prouvaire argued.

"Great argument, Jean." Courfeyrac said with a laugh.

Meanwhile, Enjolras was watching Eponine. Something about her seemed... different. She almost seemed to glow. But what was it? Enjolras knew this question would bother him until he figured out the answer. Perhaps she was just happy that Marius had finally realised that he loved her, or perhaps it was because they were engaged. But neither of his theories seemed to explain it. Then he noticed it, the slight swelling of her stomach... Realisation dawned on him; Eponine was pregnant.

**Aaand Enjolras has figured it out. So what do you guys think the babies names should be? What genders do you think they should be? Also, I started high school today, so the updates won't be as frequent. Sorry.**

**I now have a blog for my account. In it, I will talk about future story ideas, current stories that I'm working on, and you'll probably get some sneak-peeks. If you wish to follow me on tumblr, my tumblr name thing is missfiyerabameponinesherlock . tumblr . com**

**Also, please check out the new poll on my profile page. It's regarding one of my future stories, Behold the Night That Falls, which centres around the attack on Rue Plumet.**


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